As any astute longtime reader of
this column knows, there are certain
times of the year when we like to share
our favorite appropriate stories with
you. You might call them our seasonal
chestnuts. One of these times is during
Christmas, when we roll out our version
of “The Night Before Christmas" aptly
renamed “A Caregiver's Christmas.”
Another is on this very day, when we
like to recount the story of our
Valentine's Day lovebirds – Mike and
Mindy…

They heard about the
session in the news that very morning.
Let’s call them Mike and Mindy. I was in
their town to host an information and
resource panel and had a short interview
on one of the local television stations,
which prompted their attendance. The
idea of the panel was to enable
caregivers to ask questions of their
local experts and receive immediate
attention. My role was to moderate and
(hopefully) motivate...continued

Clinical literature has long
documented that animal companionship
can help the pain and discomfort
associated with many of life’s
greatest transitions. Animal
companionship has helped during the
time of military transfers, broken
hearts, terminal illnesses, lost
loved ones and teenagers going away
to college. In 1964, American Child
Psychiatrist Boris Levinson coined
the phrase “pet therapy” to describe
this phenomenon...continued

In Sickness and in HealthA commitment made in harmony with unimaginable importance

By Marvin Wiebener

The word caregiver has many
meanings, with definitions that run
the gamut of tasks on a broad
continuum, from simple household
chores to end-stage palliative care
and everything in between. It’s
something many of us never give a
second thought. Caregiving—we
believe—is for children, the elderly
and those who are ill, but not for
us, those who are healthy. We have
jobs to do, schools to attend,
families to raise, and finally a
retirement to enjoy....continued

Caretips

Relax

People -- sometimes friends,
relatives, helpful technicians at
the doctor's office, concerned
co-workers-- are always telling us,
"reduce your stress, sweetie, and
you'll feel better." Sort of like
"Have a nice day!" After a while,
the urge to strangle the next person
who says it becomes more than a
passing fancy. So, we decided to
go against the grain, fight the
flow, be plain old oppositional! We
aren't going to tell you how to
reduce your stress. For once, we are
going to tell you how to increase
the stress in your life. The
following are helpful hints to
ensure a heart attack, a bursting
blood vessel, an aggravated ulcer
and at the very least,
indigestion...
Continued

I have a wife with a
rare disease called
Behcet's. She is quite ill
most of the time. I am
looking for suggestions to
avoid caregiver burnout and
I have been selected as a
husband and caregiver of a
Behcet's patient to speak on
the subject during The
Behcet's Conference this
April in Orlando Florida. So
I am asking for help with
information and sources for
information to assist in my
endeavor.

Caregiver.com
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One hint I use when I care for my Mom is to
take an empty 2 liter soda and refill it with
warm water from the faucet. I screw the top on
tightly and pad it with a blanket or towel. My
Mom's hands then will finally get warm...
continued